CANTON, Ohio — Malone used a strong first quarter to pull away from Davis & Elkins and defeat the Senators 15-7 on Saturday afternoon in their first conference matchup of the season.

Malone scored five goals in the opening period and never trailed, while Davis & Elkins tried to rally late but could not overcome the early deficit.

The Pioneers opened the scoring at the 11:54 mark of the first quarter when Jackson Lintner found the back of the net off an assist from Adam Rucker. Malone added four more goals in the period, including two more from Lintner and one from Liam Sullivan, to take a 5-1 lead after the first quarter.

Charlie Taylor put Davis & Elkins on the board midway through the opening frame with a goal off an assist from Xzavier Jankowiak.

The Senators narrowed the gap in the second quarter as Jankowiak scored unassisted and Taylor added a man-up goal to make it 6-3. However, Malone answered with a goal from John Mautz III before halftime to extend the lead to 7-3.

Malone continued to build its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring Davis & Elkins 4-1 in the period. Jankowiak recorded his second goal of the game for the Senators during the stretch.

Taylor completed his hat trick early in the fourth quarter, while Karsen Kronen added a pair of goals in the final period, including a man-down score and a goal assisted by Devon Garcia. Despite the late push, the Pioneers added four more goals in the final quarter to seal the 15-7 victory.

Taylor led Davis & Elkins with three goals, while Jankowiak added two goals and an assist. Kronen finished with two goals, and Garcia contributed an assist.

Goalkeeper Avery Linthicum made 16 saves for the Senators.

Ramsey Burnard paced Malone with four goals and an assist, while Jackson Lintner added three goals. Quincy Dumarce recorded a goal and three assists for the Pioneers.

Davis & Elkins will return to action Tuesday, March 10, when the Senators host Lake Erie College in a G-MAC matchup. Faceoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Nuttall Field.